The Kings welcomed Matt Greene back to their lineup for a gritty 2-1 victory over the scalding Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Staples Center, looking whole again after 42 games without their veteran defenseman.

It would have made for a better story if Greene scored the go-ahead goal on an end-to-end rush that lifted the Kings to a victory in another in a string of nerve-jangling games. But that's not his style of play and that's certainly not what the Kings ask of him.

Defenseman Drew Doughty and enforcer Kyle Clifford scored the Kings' goals, helping them to end the Blue Jackets' five-game winning streak. Dalton Prout scored the Blue Jackets' only goal, his first in the NHL in his 30 th game, as Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made 20 saves.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Kings (25-14-5) didn't need highlight-reel caliber plays from Greene to stay in front of the San Jose Sharks in the fight for fourth place and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Slow and steady saved the day.

"You want to see how your back holds up," Greene said of playing for the first time since he hurt his back Jan. 19, and required surgery. "You can do as many exercises as you want, but it all comes down to being physical and battling. If I can't battle in the corners, I'm pretty much useless."

It was Kings coach Darryl Sutter's wish to have Greene play as many games as possible before the playoffs begin April 30. Sutter hoped Greene might be fit to play in Tuesday's game against the Sharks in San Jose, a shootout loss, but it didn't happen.

Greene practiced with his teammates Wednesday and when he woke up feeling fine Thursday, the Kings activated him from injured reserve just before they took the ice for their morning skate. He received a fine ovation when he hit the ice for his first shift against the Blue Jackets.

The 29-year-old Greene was a key player during the Kings' improbable run from the eighth seed in the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup championship last spring. He was a formidable presence on the blue line, helping to lead the Kings' suffocating defense corps.

After a sluggish start to the season that had some wondering if they suffered from a Stanley Cup hangover, the Kings climbed to second place in the Pacific Division and fourth in the conference.

Several young defensemen stepped up their play in Greene's absence.

One of them, Keaton Ellerby, was scratched Thursday in favor of Greene.

"He wanted to be able to come back at the end of the year," Clifford said of Greene. "He had a deadline set and he wanted to be ready for it. He carries a lot of character around with him on and off the ice. He was ready and he showed it today."

Greene wasn't impressed with his play, however.

"I didn't want to make any mistakes," Greene said after playing 16:15 and recording two shots and five hits. "I just wanted to keep it simple.

Obviously, the puck got away from me a few times. Hopefully, I can rectify that in the next few games. I was just thinking, 'Don't mess up too much.'

"Hopefully, I'll get better and move on. You can't simulate that, going back for pucks or battling in the corners. You've got to get out there and do it. You expect some hiccups. I've just got to get them out of my game as soon as possible."

The Kings took a 1-0 lead when Doughty beat Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky from point-blank range for a power-play goal 8:35 into the game.

Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar earned the assists. It was the 300 th of his career for Kopitar.